Post 467 headed to Boyertown today for PA championship
It's back on the road today for the Region 8 champion Wilcox American Legion Baseball squad who head to Boyertown for the state championship that start on Saturday. The double-elimination event's championship game will be on Wednesday.
Post 467 improved to 16-1 by going 5-0 at the regional in Albion that wrapped up Tuesday with a 5-0 win over ElkMcKean League foe Brockway. That road trip started last Thursday when the team checked into their hotel in the Albion area. The stay lasted an extra day because Monday's semifinals and the title game were postponed until Tuesday.
Wilcox opens against the host Boyertown at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday at Bear Stadium. It's the last of four games involving the eight teams vying for the PA title and advancement to Morgantown, West Virginia, for the MidEast Regional that gets underway on Aug. 3.
The other teams are Norchester (Region 2), last year's state champs, Falls (Region 3), Paxton (Region 4), Greater Pittston (Region 5), Blackhawk (Region 6), and Philipsburg (Region 7).
Post 467 practiced on Thursday at the Knothole Fields in Johnsonburg. Manager Casey Zimmerman is excited to be back on the road to play for the area's towns. Players on the team are from Wilcox, Johnsonburg, and Ridgway.
"We take pride in representing our community. We want our boys to be role models for the younger generation and give them something to aspire for. Growing up in these towns and going to school here, we bleed for this community. The support has always been incredible."
Most of the team has been together since their early Little League days. As ElkMcKean, they advanced to the 2018 Junior Little League World Series. They were two wins away from going to the Senior Little League World Series a year later.
"We just want the boys to go down there like this is one of the last hurrahs for this group. We want to see them finish writing their story the best way possible."
It's the last postseason for Camron Marciniak, Collin Porter, Dalton Stahli, Caden Smiley, and Ethan Wells. They'll be unable to play legion ball next year due to age. Others making the trip are brothers Aiden and Luke Zimmerman, Domenic Allegretto, and Kaden Dennis, who were part of the ElkMcKean teams. Cameron Larkin and Ben Paul are also on the quest.
Zimmerman, assisted by Mike Porter and Anthony Allegretto, expressed his thanks to Post 467 and the Wilcox Sportsmen's Club for their financial contributions.
All teams will stay in the same hotel, and the tournament banquet is tonight.
"That's going to be a cool atmosphere," said the Wilcox manager. "It's reminiscent of the (Little League) World Series where they bring all the teams together. So that's going to be interesting, and I think it will be fun for the boys."
Bear Stadium is located on Monroe Street in Boyertown. According to Google maps, it's an over four-hour trip from Wilcox.
All of Post 467's games will air on WDDH-97.5 FM-The Hound.
Saturday-Sunday schedule Saturday
Game 1 – Greater Pittston (Region 5) vs. Philipsburg (Region 7) – 10:15 a.m.
Game 2 – Falls (Region 3) vs. Blackhawk (Region 6) – 1:05 p.m.
Game 3 – Norchester (Region 2) vs. Paxton (Region 4) – 4:05 p.m.
Game 4 – Wilcox (Region 8) vs. Boyertown (Host) – 7:05 p.m. Sunday
Game 5 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 3 Loser – 10:15 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 2 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser – 1:05 p.m.
Game 7 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner – 4:05 p.m.
Game 8 – Game 2 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner – 7:05 p.m.